Akagi Minami was a descendant of a ninja clan.
Belonging to the Akagi branch of the prestigious Saionji family, she had lived in the shadow of Saionji Kumiko since they first t when Minami was five years old.
Her main duty was to protect and handle miscellaneous tasks for her master, Saionji Kumiko.
Therefore, most of her daily schedule was aligned with Kumiko’s lifestyle.
Naturally, Minami had no days off.
Her only leisure was briefly looking at her smartphone while lying in bed after the lady had retired to her chamber to end the day.
Although she received her salary promptly every month, she had no ti to spend it, so the money just accumulated in her bank account.
The only rest Minami could get was barely 15 days of paid vacation per year.
Even this was often left unused, as she was a workaholic.
It was a coincidence that Minami went shopping in Shibuya to buy autumn clothes.
But thanks to this coincidence, she t the younger-looking Kim Yu-seong, which could be seen as fate.
Again, Akagi Minami was a descendant of a ninja clan and the faithful shadow of Saionji Kumiko.
This was important, so it was ntioned twice.
Minami dislikes boys her age.
They were noisy, irrational, slly, selfish, and embodints of sexual desire.
As strict as she was with herself, her standards for others were equally high, leaving hardly any man up to her criteria.
In this sense, Kim Yu-seong sowhat t Minami’s stringent standards.
However, he was already soone the lady liked, and he had another fatal flaw.
That was his excessively bulky muscles.
For her, who preferred slender, boyish figures, Kim Yu-seong’s combat-like muscles, more suited to macho comics, were a bit too much.
Simply put, his appearance was not to Minami’s taste.
However, the person who sat at the place she arrived after the sudden call was a young boy who completely fit into her strike zone, given her slight inclination towards shotacon.
With his snow-white skin, as if untouched by sunlight, slightly gloomy eyes, black long hair, and slender limbs, he looked like a delicate boy straight out of a manga.
Honestly, she might have been completely off-guard, so the ntal shock felt greater.
Anyway, after the shock and eating at the all-you-can-eat at restaurant, she went on a pseudo-date at a nearby arcade at the invitation of the younger Kim Yu-seong.
The fact that the boy himself seed indifferent irked her, but she kept her mouth shut as his younger appearance perfectly matched her preferences.
Had the lady at ho known about this, she would have exclaid, “You thief of a cat!” But what wouldn’t be discovered didn’t matter.
After a delightful two hours, they took sticker photos to preserve the mory.
Kim Yu-seong, seemingly taking such photos for the first ti, smiled awkwardly.
Though she would have been content just looking at his face, the thought of it being the first and last ti made her insist.
“Co closer. That way, we’ll both fit in the fra.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Kim Yu-seong, with a dazed expression, moved closer to her.
His face was quietly expressive in its rarity.
She happily morized the younger appearance of Kim Yu-seong in her ntal photo album.
“Ready! Cheese!”
Click!
The sticker photo obtained as today’s spoil was ant to be kept a secret from the lady.
The eel rice bowl we ordered arrived after about 20 minutes.
The restaurant staff placed a square lunchbox-like container, a spatula, a smaller bowl, and a tea pot in front of Minami and .
Opening the container with anticipation, we saw glossy eel with matching tare sauce and white rice underneath.
“Would you like to explain how to eat it?”
“No, thank you. I’ve been here before.”
After Minami sharply declined, the staff mber said to call if we needed anything, then closed the door and left.
The room beca quiet again.
Minami, sitting opposite , looked at and then spoke.
“You should divide the eel rice bowl here into three parts.”
Following Minami’s instructions, I divided the rice bowl inside the container into three equal parts using the provided spatula.
“Then take one third and eat it as it is.”
Following her instructions, I ate a bite of the eel rice bowl I had dished out.
“Wow!”
Delicious.
It felt like all the eel rice bowls I had eaten before were fake in comparison.
The mont it entered my mouth, the seasoned eel flesh lted like snow.
I was taught to savor such luxurious food, but I found myself eagerly shoveling it into my mouth.
After swiftly finishing the bowl, I looked at Minami sitting across from .
She hadn’t eaten even half yet, but noticing my gaze, she picked up the teapot with a stoic expression.
“Next, take another third of the rice bowl and make ochazuke with it.”
She said this and poured green tea into my bowl.
The fragrant aroma of green tea wafted from the bowl.
Thinking to truly savor the flavor this ti, I carefully took a bite.
“Mmm!”
Even with more calmness than the first bite, it was still incredibly delicious.
The rich protein of eel, combined with the salty-sweetness of tare sauce and the subtle bitterness of green tea, created a harmoniously diverse flavor experience.
As soone who usually doesn’t like ochazuke, it was quite a shocking experience for .
The only ochazuke I had ever acknowledged was made with barley tea, but today, a second one was added to that list.
I ate it sparingly for my standards, but since the portion wasn’t that large, the bowl of eel rice ochazuke quickly emptied.
Watching this, Minami shared the final third way to enjoy the dish.
“Now, for the last third, just eat it the way you like it most.”
In other words, the choice was mine.
Hearing Minami’s words, I fell into a happy dilemma.
Both ways were delicious, making it hard to give up either.
The stable taste of the original, or the eel rice ochazuke that provided with a new experience.
Finally, I made my decision and reached out confidently.
Snap!
What I grabbed was the teapot, still half full.
The original was good, but I boldly chose the eel rice ochazuke, thinking it was sothing I couldn’t get elsewhere.
Tasting the eel rice soaked in green tea again, I realized my choice was right.
‘It’s healing…’
Now I understand why people go on culinary explorations.
After spending nearly a month’s allowance on one al, we took a stroll in a nearby park.
We had been eating since lunch, so this was to aid digestion and get so aerobic exercise.
Holding her shopping bags, Minami, walking beside , spoke first.
“I had fun today.”
Hearing that, I inwardly felt relieved.
“Then I’m glad. I was worried it might have been fun only for .”
Then Minami suddenly stopped.
“Kim Yu-seong, can I ask you sothing?”
“What is it?”
“What do you think about the lady?”
It was an unexpected and heavy question.
I hesitated before answering.
“I think she’s a good person. Honestly, she’s more than I deserve.”
I couldn’t understand why soone like her would show favor to soone like , but I definitely liked her.
Being the President’s close associate, Minami probably knew everything that happened between the President and .
That must be why she suddenly asked this question.
Then Minami spoke.
“I’m glad. Because the President likes a guy like you.”
She then swept her hair to the side with a slightly bitter smile.
“It would have been nice to et a little earlier.”
Who? The President?
I couldn’t understand what she ant by that.
“Anyway, that’s it for today. It’s getting late, so let’s part ways now.”
Minami said this and turned around.
She was headed in the opposite direction of the subway station.
I quickly asked her,
“How are you planning to get ho?”
“My brother sent a taxi because he was worried about coming ho late. See you next week.”
Bye-bye.
Minami said that, waved coolly, and left.
After seeing her off, I stood in the park for a while until I received a text from my mother asking when I would co ho, and then I started walking.
I was hoping for a quick recovery after having eaten plenty of beef and eel, which were said to be good for revitalization.
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